Shed permit rules in Shelby County, TN — also referred to as storage shed, backyard shed, or accessory building regulations — set size limits, setbacks, and when a building permit is required.
In unincorporated Shelby County, the Unified Development Code treats sheds as accessory structures: at least five feet from side and rear property lines, shorter than the main house, and their combined footprint cannot exceed 75 percent of the principal structure's square footage.
A tool or storage shed is an accessory structure under the Memphis/Shelby County UDC, Chapter 2.7. Under UDC Sec. 2.7.2B, accessory structures must sit at least five feet from side and rear property lines, and any portion over 20 feet tall must be set back 20 feet from lines not abutting an alley; an accessory structure may not exceed the height of the principal dwelling. UDC Sec. 2.7.2C caps the cumulative square footage of all accessory structures at 75 percent of the principal structure (no cap in the CA district), and allows no more than one accessory structure on residential lots under 6,000 square feet. Incorporated cities set their own shed rules.
A shed placed inside the five-foot setback, taller than the main house, or pushing accessory-structure square footage past the 75 percent cap violates the UDC in unincorporated Shelby County, enforced by Planning and Development through the joint zoning ordinance.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Shelby County's shed rules rules stack up against other locations.
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